Hoover touted as location for softball World Series

Effort to move event to Alabama in exploratory stage

University of Alabama softball players celebrate with fans after winning the NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City on June 6, 2012. The Alabama Sports Foundation is exploring a bid to move the event from Oklahoma City to Hoover, home of the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

File | The Associated Press

By Tommy DeasExecutive Sports Editor

Published: Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 5, 2013 at 11:27 p.m.

The University of Alabama softball team won the Women's College World Series last year. Now, the Alabama Sports Foundation is exploring a bid to move the event from Oklahoma City to Hoover.

The foundation, with a mission to promote amateur athletics in the state, would like to bring college softball's NCAA Division I championship event to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The facility was home to the Birmingham Barons minor league baseball franchise, but the Barons moved to a new stadium in Birmingham starting with this season.

Hoover has hosted the NCAA Division I College Cup men's soccer national championship the last two seasons. The Alabama Sports Foundation also successfully bid to bring the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships to Birmingham in 2014.

“It's something that kind of sparked our interest and we're going to start to pursue,” said Billy Rodgers, vice president of the foundation. “Nothing formal has been done. We don't know what the deal is with OKC. It has been just kind of initial discussions amongst ourselves.

“We do have a stadium that's available and it has some of the amenities that the NCAA looks for. They have the College Cup, so they know what it's all about.”

The NCAA's current deal to host the event in Oklahoma City runs through the 2014 World Series, and officials there are seeking a long-term deal similar to the 25-year contract the NCAA executed to keep the baseball College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

“It is our intention to enter into a long-term agreement with the NCAA,” Oklahoma City All Sports Association executive director Tim Brassfield told The Oklahoman newspaper. “We feel this event should stay here. We're doing everything in our power to keep it here for the next 20 to 25 years.”

Officials told The Oklahoman that the city is in the process of raising $20 million ($12 million from the city and $8 million through private donors) to make significant improvements to the host stadium as part of the commitment to earn a long-term deal with the NCAA.

Oklahoma City's ASAHall of Fame Stadium has hosted college softball's World Series every year since 1990 with the exception of 1996, when it was held in Columbus, Ga. The WCWS was held in Sunnyvale, Calif., in 1988 and '89 and in Omaha, Neb., from 1982-87.

The Bruno Events Team, which is hired to run major sporting events for the Alabama Sports Foundation, is running the 2014 U.S. Senior Open golf tournament in Oklahoma City. That, coupled with the Alabama Crimson Tide's success in softball, sparked interest in making a bid for the World Series.

Right now, the Alabama Sports Foundation is in the early fact-finding stage.

“We haven't talked to Alabama,” Rodgers said. “I would assume the next steps are to visit the softball World Series this summer and start discussions with the NCAA.”

Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy said he believes a bid to bring the event to Hoover would be a good thing for college softball's championship event, whether successful or not.

“I think it's very exciting,” he said. “When there's another option, that's going to be great for everybody. If there is only one option, it's like they have no reason (in Oklahoma City) to improve their facility. They have done some great things the last couple of years with the new locker room and adding seats and the permanent fence in the outfield. The whole atmosphere is awesome there, but it could always improve.”

Alabama, in addition to making it to the World Series eight times since 2000, has also led the nation in either average or home attendance — or both — in every season since 2008, except for 2011, when UA was second to Arizona. Last year, UA set a single-season home attendance record at 86,108, more than 13,000 better than the previous record, set by Arizona the year before.

“That is always part of it with any sport,” Rodgers said of local fan interest.

<p>The University of Alabama softball team won the Women's College World Series last year. Now, the Alabama Sports Foundation is exploring a bid to move the event from Oklahoma City to Hoover.</p><p>The foundation, with a mission to promote amateur athletics in the state, would like to bring college softball's NCAA Division I championship event to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The facility was home to the Birmingham Barons minor league baseball franchise, but the Barons moved to a new stadium in Birmingham starting with this season.</p><p>Hoover has hosted the NCAA Division I College Cup men's soccer national championship the last two seasons. The Alabama Sports Foundation also successfully bid to bring the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships to Birmingham in 2014.</p><p>“It's something that kind of sparked our interest and we're going to start to pursue,” said Billy Rodgers, vice president of the foundation. “Nothing formal has been done. We don't know what the deal is with OKC. It has been just kind of initial discussions amongst ourselves.</p><p>“We do have a stadium that's available and it has some of the amenities that the NCAA looks for. They have the College Cup, so they know what it's all about.”</p><p>The NCAA's current deal to host the event in Oklahoma City runs through the 2014 World Series, and officials there are seeking a long-term deal similar to the 25-year contract the NCAA executed to keep the baseball College World Series in Omaha, Neb.</p><p>“It is our intention to enter into a long-term agreement with the NCAA,” Oklahoma City All Sports Association executive director Tim Brassfield told The Oklahoman newspaper. “We feel this event should stay here. We're doing everything in our power to keep it here for the next 20 to 25 years.”</p><p>Officials told The Oklahoman that the city is in the process of raising $20 million ($12 million from the city and $8 million through private donors) to make significant improvements to the host stadium as part of the commitment to earn a long-term deal with the NCAA.</p><p>Oklahoma City's ASAHall of Fame Stadium has hosted college softball's World Series every year since 1990 with the exception of 1996, when it was held in Columbus, Ga. The WCWS was held in Sunnyvale, Calif., in 1988 and '89 and in Omaha, Neb., from 1982-87.</p><p>The Bruno Events Team, which is hired to run major sporting events for the Alabama Sports Foundation, is running the 2014 U.S. Senior Open golf tournament in Oklahoma City. That, coupled with the Alabama Crimson Tide's success in softball, sparked interest in making a bid for the World Series.</p><p>Right now, the Alabama Sports Foundation is in the early fact-finding stage.</p><p>“We haven't talked to Alabama,” Rodgers said. “I would assume the next steps are to visit the softball World Series this summer and start discussions with the NCAA.”</p><p>Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy said he believes a bid to bring the event to Hoover would be a good thing for college softball's championship event, whether successful or not.</p><p>“I think it's very exciting,” he said. “When there's another option, that's going to be great for everybody. If there is only one option, it's like they have no reason (in Oklahoma City) to improve their facility. They have done some great things the last couple of years with the new locker room and adding seats and the permanent fence in the outfield. The whole atmosphere is awesome there, but it could always improve.”</p><p>Alabama, in addition to making it to the World Series eight times since 2000, has also led the nation in either average or home attendance — or both — in every season since 2008, except for 2011, when UA was second to Arizona. Last year, UA set a single-season home attendance record at 86,108, more than 13,000 better than the previous record, set by Arizona the year before.</p><p>“That is always part of it with any sport,” Rodgers said of local fan interest.</p><p>Reach Tommy Deas at tommy@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0224.</p>